Rebecca Zanetti: Tamed

After slowing down, she stepped off the treadmill and wiped a towel across her neck. The king had placed the treadmill in a private exercise room in her suite.

Apparently he figured she’d want her privacy when not in her customary prophet attire.

Rapid knocks fired on the door, and her heart leaped. Caleb had said he needed to attend the strategy meetings with the king, but maybe he’d changed his mind and wanted to return to bed.

That was a meeting she’d love to attend.

Her steps hurried as she maneuvered through the living room to the front door.

Prophet Guiles stood on the other side, dark circles under his eyes. “My dreams are getting worse.”

She sighed. “I’m sorry. Would you like to come in?”

He glanced at her yoga outfit. “Not really. It’s rather warm outside. Would you mind a walk in the fresh air?”

That sounded lovely. Lily reached for a jacket.

“I, ah, can wait until you change,” Guiles said, his gaze on the ceiling.

For goodness’ sake. Lily glanced down at the perfectly appropriate yoga suit. It was time for her to truly join modern life and stop being so worried about what others thought. “These are decent walking clothes.” She ignored his uncomfortable shrug and followed him outside the door. “I have to tell you about my dreams, as well.”

Guiles nodded and led her through the lodge and out into the sunshine. “This is much better, don’t you agree?”

“I do.” She stretched her calves on each step. The vampires’ subdivision appeared similar to every other high-end gated subdivision in Oregon, if one didn’t look too closely. The stunning houses had bulletproof glass, steel-enforced doors, and underground escape tunnels into the mountains around them.

The front gate held normal-appearing attendants . . . with a cache of weapons within reach. Plus, missiles were implanted in the ground to take out any aircraft deemed a threat.

But, as a subdivision, the homes were lovely and the sidewalks swept.

Guiles cleared his throat, clasping his hands behind his back. “Are you going to obey Fate?”

Lily’s stride hitched and she nearly stumbled. “Don’t I always?”

“Then why haven’t you killed Janie Kayrs?” Guiles asked softly, his gaze on his polished loafers.

Heat washed down Lily’s torso. “You met Fate in a dream.”

“Her dictates were clear,” Guiles said slowly, regret filling his voice. “I don’t know why, but Janie has to die. Half of the world has believed that fact from her birth, and it was lucky happenstance the vampires discovered her location before other species.”

Otherwise Janie would already be dead. Lily shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense that Janie should die—she’s supposed to somehow change the world.”

“Change isn’t always good.”

“I know.” Lily lifted her face to the sun, her thoughts swirling. “How do we know for sure Fate is the one giving orders here?”

Guiles tripped and quickly regained his balance. “Who else could it be?”

“I don’t know, but so many of us are psychic, empathic, telepathic . . . maybe somebody has discovered our wavelengths and is manipulating our dreams.” Lily opened her heart fully and went on instinct. “I can’t believe Fate would want me to kill. Why not you? Or Caleb?”

“You’re the only one of us who can get close enough.” Guiles picked up the pace. “Bodyguards are always around Janie to protect her, even from Caleb and me. But not you.” He stopped walking near a Japanese maple, the brilliant red leaves just now falling. With a sigh, he leaned against a Realm-issued SUV. “It has to be you who protects destiny and does the unthinkable. You have the king’s complete trust, and you have access to Janie.”

“That’s true.” Lily stretched her neck, nausea rising from her stomach. “You really think murder is the right path?”

“Yes.” Sorrow filled Guiles’s eyes.

Lily studied him. The man she’d known and trusted for centuries. They’d followed duty and Fate together. Instinct flared alive in her, and she nearly doubled over in pain. “You’re psychic and telepathic, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” A gentle frown settled between his dark eyes.

Regret tasted like bile. “Why do you want Janie dead, Guiles?”

Guiles sighed, regret twisting his lip. “The vision is true. The one you saw of Janie as a prophet wearing a marking.”

Lily lifted her chin. “Your marking?”

“Yes. The only way she could earn a marking is if one of us dies, and I recognized the marking as mine. I changed it for your dream.” He ran a manicured hand through his thick hair. “I’m sorry.”

Anger flashed through Lily. “Sorry? For invading my dreams, for making me defy Fate and everything I believe in? For trying to force me to kill a friend?”

“No.” Guiles moved faster than a snake, a dark box in his hand. “For this.” Something sizzled on Lily’s skin, and darkness swamped her in unconsciousness.

Caleb slammed his fist down on the stone table. “Enough of this. The Kurjans and demons are not peaceful species, and frankly, neither are vampires. These talks are just a trap, and you know it.”

Irritation sizzled Dage’s eyes into a metallic silver. “There’s no way to trap us. Even with our best minds, we can’t figure out a way to trap them so far underground. No powers work. We’re as harmless as humans down there, and so are they.”

“It’s still a bad idea.” Caleb stood nose-to-nose with the king, finally letting his temper roar.

“Too bad. Shut the fuck up, sit down, and make sure we haven’t missed anything,” Dage shouted right back.

Caleb tightened his hand into a fist, and the king straightened his shoulders to take the hit and probably retaliate. They’d see if the copied tables could take a good hand-to-hand fight.

An alarm blared through the lodge, stilling both men.

“Shit,” Dage said, tapping a communicator around his wrist. “Status?”

“Realm SUV broke through the front gate,” came the terse reply as engines sounded in the background.

“Did you fire?” Dage asked.

“No. Prophet Guiles was driving with Prophet Sotheby half-covering his body. We couldn’t risk hitting her.”

Caleb’s head jerked up. The world crashed into him, deafening in a sudden silence. “Lily?”

Dage grabbed his arm. “Let’s go.”

They ran out of the room and through the lodge just in time to jump into a Hummer driven by Jase. Caleb slid into the front while the king careened into the back next to another soldier. The vehicle squealed out on the asphalt before they’d even closed the doors.

“What the hell?” Caleb said.

Jase punched the accelerator, his face fierce in concentration. “The two prophets were positively identified as the SUV crashed through the gate, and Lily appeared unconscious.” Jase glanced at Caleb and grimaced. “The guard said Guiles was using her as a shield, so they immediately began to pursue.”

Rage and an entirely new feeling ripped into Caleb’s heart. What was that? Fear? He didn’t like it . . . at all. “Where the hell does he think he’s taking her?” There was no way the SUV could outrun the Hummers.

As if on cue, the vehicle whipped around a corner and through the damaged gate, heading full-speed for the open road.

Jase tapped a button on the dashboard. “Do we have eyes on them?”

A speaker in the dash crackled before a voice came through. “Yes. They’re heading east on Salamis Road. Fast. Too fast,” the guard said. “We haven’t lost visual, so both prophets are still in the vehicle, but we can’t shoot.”

Jase nodded. “Hold tight.” He pressed another button. “Do we have visual from air?”